BlinkNow Foundation
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Maggie Doyne |
Region served | Surkhet, Nepal |
| Website | blinknow |
BlinkNow Foundation (BlinkNow) is a nonprofit organization that operates a globally recognized school and children's home in Surkhet, Nepal. Co-founded by New Jersey native Maggie Doyne when she was 19 years old, along with Nepali Tope Bahadur Malla, BlinkNow has been recognized as an example of "DIY philanthropy."[1]
Programs
On its campus in Surkhet, BlinkNow's Kopila Valley School provides tuition-free education from preschool to 12th grade for more than 400 students from under-resourced backgrounds and employs more than 150 local teachers and support staff.[2] The children's home provides shelter, nutrition, and support for children who have been orphaned and other at-risk children. The campus also features a health clinic and women's center. It is a community development model for other agencies and schools, and the staff now mentor fellow professionals.[3]
Sustainability & Campus
BlinkNow identifies sustainability as one of its core values. The school campus features rammed earth walls that are nearly half a meter thick[4] in addition to multiple solar power generation and rainwater collection and recycling systems.[5]
In 2017, the organization opened a new campus for its Kopila Valley School which it has billed as "the greenest school in Nepal."[6]
In 2025, a new eco-friendly Children's Village was completed near the school, to include family-style homes for 50 children, housing for staff caregivers, space for 40+ graduate young adults to return home to visit, and a community program headquarters for all BlinkNow programs.[7]
Notable Supporters
BlinkNow received widespread attention after its founder, Maggie Doyne, was selected as CNN Hero of the Year in 2015.
In 2016, author Elizabeth Gilbert shared a video of herself singing a karaoke version of Bonnie Tyler's “Total Eclipse of the Heart” to raise money for the organization after learning Doyne was in part inspired by her memoir Eat, Pray, Love.[8]
In August 2019, the organization was featured by Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, on their Instagram feed along with other organizations including the Earth Day Network and Children International.[9]
Actor and Producer Mark Duplass and his Duplass Brothers Productions have supported the organization with charity fundraising events, appearances on game shows to play for BlinkNow, and production of Jeremy Power Regimbal's documentary feature film Between the Mountain and the Sky profiling Maggie Doyne, Tope Bahadur Malla, and children who have grown up in Kopila Valley.[10][11]
References
- ^ Kristof, Nicholas (20 October 2010). "How to Change the World". New York Times. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ Wang, Lucy (10 April 2019). "Rammed earth Kopila Valley School is the "greenest school in Nepal"". Inhabitat. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ "BlinkNow Summit 2025 Brings Leaders Together in Surkhet". The Diplomat Nepal (in Nepali). 2025-12-22. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
- ^ Teo, Sheilin (24 May 2019). "Starting Nepal's green school movement". Nepali Times. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ "How BlinkNow Built Nepal's Greenest School". Reimagine Education. No. 38. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ Education, Reimagine (2020-07-12). "HOW BLINKNOW BUILT NEPAL'S GREENEST SCHOOL". Reimagine Education Awards & Conference. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
- ^ "BlinkNow Foundation Welcomes Children Home to New Sustainable Children's Village in Nepal". AP News. 2025-11-28. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
- ^ La Gorce, Tammy (3 June 2016). "An 'Eat Pray Love' Story That Built a Children's Home in Nepal". New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ May, Melanie (16 August 2019). "Duke & Duchess of Sussex choose Instagram to show support for good causes". UK Fundraising. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Foundation, BlinkNow (2023-01-12). "Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton Duplass Honored as BlinkNow Foundation Supporters of the Year 2022". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
- ^ "'Between the Mountain and the Sky' Trailer: The Duplass Brothers Executive Produce Meta Romance Documentary Starring a CNN Hero". Yahoo Entertainment. 2024-10-18. Retrieved 2026-01-02.